It was pretty late last night, so understandable if you missed it, but Nate Jones threw the ball VERY well in his two-inning stint, striking out five and reaching 97 mph with his fastball. It was an impressive way to end a long day.
Jones struck out 5 and walked one in the 2.0 innings he pitched. And here are the stats for the 26 year-old righty for the last 3 years:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | W | L | G | GS | GF | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | BK | WP | BF | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 23 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | A+-A | CHW | 4 | 1 | .800 | 3.31 | 45 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 68.0 | 52 | 25 | 25 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 68 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 273 | 1.088 | 6.9 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 9.0 | 3.09 |
| 2009 | 23 | Kannapolis | SALL | A | CHW | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2.41 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18.2 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 72 | 0.911 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 4.3 | 12.1 | 2.78 |
| 2009 | 23 | Winston-Salem | CARL | A+ | CHW | 2 | 1 | .667 | 3.65 | 32 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49.1 | 44 | 20 | 20 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 201 | 1.155 | 8.0 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 7.8 | 3.31 |
| 2010 | 24 | Winston-Salem | CARL | A+ | CHW | 11 | 6 | .647 | 4.08 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 152.1 | 176 | 77 | 69 | 10 | 56 | 0 | 109 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 671 | 1.523 | 10.4 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 6.4 | 1.95 |
| 2011 | 25 | Birmingham | SOUL | AA | CHW | 2 | 3 | .400 | 3.27 | 42 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 63.1 | 58 | 27 | 23 | 3 | 27 | 1 | 67 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 272 | 1.342 | 8.2 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 9.5 | 2.48 |
UPDATE: Scott Merkin:
Jones’ primary goal this spring simply has been to come out and throw strikes, which has put him in the group with Zach Stewart, Dylan Axelrod, Brian Bruney and Eric Stults competing for the last two bullpen slots. The team’s fifth-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft also employs a bit of delivery deception to his advantage, looking something like a less polished version of Justin Masterson.
“It looks different,” said a smiling Jones of his delivery. “I go straight back instead of making the loop. But it works. As long as I keep throwing strikes, I’ll keep doing it.
“That’s something the guys kind of poke fun at me [about] a little bit. But it has always been like that.”
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